Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-03-25
State AFFAIRS.
The Bill to Create the Office OF State
GeoIogst Defeated in the House
by a Close Vote,
The Measure to Exempt Certain COun.
ties from the Forced Collection
OF Taxes Discussed
The House Amends tho Senate Bin Great.
ing Tarrant County a Separate
Judicial District.
TAX EXEMPTION.

! Special TO the Gazette.
! AUSTIN, TEX, March q The fall text
| of the Ssnate substitute bill TO exempt
certain counties from the forced collec-
| ton of taxes is to postpone the sale Of
real and personal property of resident
owners tor taxes assessed for the year
1886 until the first Monday in September,
1887. The bill reCites that in conse-
quence Of most unprecedented drouth
the crops in a large section of the state
of Texas for the year 1886 were almost an
entire failure, and thai the stock intere SITS
of the state of Texas are. in a de-
pressed condition, due TO various unusual
causes, and as q result of which there
exists such great financial pressure
| throughout extensive portions Of the
state as would cause an unnecessary sac
rifice of property should the same be Of
fered at forced sale at the present time.
! The bill requires the Comptroller to no
tifv the sheriffs and tax collectors of TIE
several counties of the state TO postpone
the sale of real and personal property for
taxes of the year 1885, until the first
Monday in September, 1887, provided
that nothing in this act shall be so con-
strued to repeal any law now
| in force in reference to the
collection of taxes, but intended to ex-
tend the time for the forced collection of
the tax for the year 1886, as herein pro
vlded; and it is further provided that
[ this act shall only extend and appV to
citizens resident in Texas and not TO non
residents of the state having property
within the state; provided further, that
all persons who seek the benefit of this
la,.t ha mi m inf no
amount OF taxes due at the tate of per
cent. after the lst day Of April, 1887.
When the substitute was first offered a
number Of Counties were Exempted from
the operation Of the act by amendments
Of several Senators, and the bill was then
epgroSsed and laid on the table subject TO
call. 1t was called up to-day and several
other amendments eXemp ing counties
were adopted, and the bill was put upon
Its third reading and fiual passage. The
consideration of this measure was the OC-
casiOn of q long debate as to the cOnSti-
tutOBaity of such ensCtmen-. Those
opposed to its passage claimed that it was
q local act ana that the constitution for
bids the "extendiUg of the time Tor
the assessment and collection of
taxes" The friends OF the bill
made noble efforts to have the bill pass,
claiming that the substitute was not
special law, but wa general in it's appli-
cation, until the opponents of the bill be
gan to amend y-hayiug their counties
exempted from the operations of the bill.
An amendment was then made to strike
out those counties that had been hereto
fore exempted from the operations of the
law, making it once more general in it's
ap IicatlOn.
A vote was then ordered on the bill,
when it was discovered that some of the
Senators were absent. While a call
Of the house was pending, the Senate ad-
journed, leaving the bill the pending busi-
ness.
PECOS VALLEY IRRIGATION BILL.
Senator Davis made an effort 70 csl
up the Pecos Valley irrigation bill No. 247
in the Senate to-day, out failed An
other effort will be made to call it up to-
morrow.
SUNDAY LAW BILL.
| During the night session the House
to up the House bill amending the Sun
day law with the Senate amendments.
One of the amendments exempted from
the provisions Of the act those who from
religious convictions observed one day
out of seven other than Sunday, pro-
W.
that day.
TARRANT A SEPARATE JUDICIAL DISTRICT.
The Senate bill creating rarrant county
separate Judicial district passed the
House to-nisht, with some amendments
relative to the time of holding courts in
Parker and Wise counties, which will re-
quire the Sc Mates concurrence.
STATE GEOLoGISP.
no ~ fp
the office of state geologist and to define
tbe duties and prescribe the salary thereof.
This bill orlginated in the Senate, passed
that body and came to the House for con-
sideration. TIE first objection raised
, after the reading this morning was to
section of the bill which makes the
Governor, the Commissioner Of the
General Land Office and the president of
the board of regents of the State Uni
versity ex-Cffclo a geological COM
mission with power to appoint geolO-
gist, to SupeFintend the publication OF
!, the final reports of said geolOgist and TO
) authorize the expenditures made by him
2 in the prosecution CT his duties. 1t also
2 requires the geological commission to
appoint man of recognized scientific
ability, certified to by the National Acad-
. envy of Science or some other scientific
} body OF equal standing ard repute. The
= ground Of objection TO this section went
: to that feature that placed the power Of
d appointment in the hands Of the regents
of the University, and it was argued in
connection with the provision IN sec
, ton 6, prescribing an annual sal,
$ ary of $4,000 and contingent
0 expenses. The discussion then took q
l wide range ana embraced all the features
o OF the bill. Some OF the members cp-
posed to its passage ridiculed aud made
fun of the science of geology, and claimed
+ that the bill wss 8 job pus up by persons
!. lobbying in its interests. This brought
y The friends of the bill 10 the front, who
-; met this style of argument by making
Il p. rsonal applications of the ignorance o
l. the opposition, as reasons why they OPP
e posed the measure. Further debate wai
cut of by moving the previous question
u